"When you look at where we
were even three years ago, struggling to get to 2 million [in attendance], it
wasn’t all that long ago,” Boyer said. "So much has changed.”

The intervening period has
brought a much-coveted World Series title, but more broadly, a historic
redefinition of what the White Sox are. The club is now a hot ticket in the
Windy City, with attendance expected to surpass 3 million after last year’s 26
percent jump to a franchise record 2.96 million. A recent study indicated that
57 percent of Chicago-area residents watched, attended or listened to a White
Sox game in 2006, more than any other pro team in the market.

The genesis of the
increased fan interest, of course, was the fielding of a competitive team. But
Boyer has played a key role in helping redirect sponsor and fan perceptions of
the club and the game-day experience at U.S. Cellular Field. Among the
strategies employed was a deliberate attempt to not out-flash the highly
beloved Cubs, particularly as that team went on an offseason spending spree
this past winter with more than $300 million in future salary commitments.

Boyer also has encouraged
the club to think unconventionally. Garnering the most headlines last fall was
a deal with 7-Eleven to change the start time of the team’s home games to 7:11
p.m. Originally conceived by Ryan Gribble, White Sox manager of corporate partnerships,
he and Boyer needed less than an hour to close the $500,000-per-year deal with
the convenience store chain.

"It was such a great idea
that we simply had to do it, almost to the point that it didn’t matter what it
cost,” said John Moritz, 7-Eleven marketing director. "But Brooks has created a
real atmosphere of innovation and creativity over there, a willingness to think
outside the box.”